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Friday, July 30, 2010

Beginner's Whole Wheat Batter Bread

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This is the first yeast bread I was taught to make. I was twelve years old at the time and learned this technique in the kitchen of a neighbor. It is a perfect beginners bread because it truly can't fail, though it does require a stand mixer or a very strong arm to make that miracle happen. This recipe makes a very wet dough that is not kneaded or shaped into loaves. The mixer does all the work. The shaggy dough is dropped into a bread pan and you can, if you wish, smooth the top a bit. Times have changed. When I first made this bread the whole wheat flour on the grocer's shelves was still called graham flour and yeast came in small cakes. I clearly remember we had to use molasses as a sweetener because honey was not yet generally available to folks living in the city. This bread has surprising flavor, a wonderful crumb and it makes great sandwiches. It can also handle the addition of nuts or seeds if you like them in your bread. It stays fresh for several days if it is wrapped and kept at room temperature. If you are new to bread baking, or have a young daughter who is interested in learning how to make bread, this is a wonderful starter recipe. It makes a lovely bread and those of you who try it will be pleased with the loaf you produce. Here's the recipe.

Beginner's Whole Wheat Batter Bread...from the kitchen of One Perfect BiteIngredients:1-1/2 cups warm water2-1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast2 tablespoons honey or molasses2 cups whole wheat flour1 cup all-purpose flour1 teaspoon salt2 tablespoons room temperature butterDirections:1) Place water in bowl of an electric mixer. Add yeast and honey or molasses. Stir to combine. Let sit for 5 minutes.2) Set mixer to low speed. Beat in 1 cup whole wheat flour, 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, salt and butter. Increase speed to medium and beat for 2 minutes, scraping sides as needed. Reduce speed to low to add reserved 1 cup whole wheat and 1/2 cup all-purpose flour. Beat just until combined. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let it sit in a warm spot until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.3) Stir dough down by beating for 25 strokes with a wooden spoon. Spread dough into a greased 9 x 5 x 3-inch bread pan. Cover loosely with a flour rubbed dish towel and let rise until dough rises to top of pan, about 1 hour. A floured towel is used to prevent dough from sticking to it. Do not use plastic wrap. Dough will stick to it and deflate when wrap is removed.4) Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Bake bread in center of oven until it is browned and sounds hollow when tapped, about 30 minutes. Cool in pan for 25 minutes. Remove from pan and cool completely on a wire rack. Yield: 1 loaf.

80 comments
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Sometimes the simplest recipes are the best. I loved hearing how you first began baking bread, and I imagine that you've brought this wonderful practice into many people's lives. Thank you for sharing all that you do with me!

This recipe looks great. I moved at the beginning of the summer and not a single loaf of my bread has worked out since then! I'm hoping that that maybe this recipe you suggest will work in this climate! I'm going to try it sometime this coming week. Thanks for the recipe!

Mary...I'm as much a beginner as anyone. I have yet to adventure myself out into the world of bread baking. I do hope one day to dedicate myself to this art.In the meantime...I will bookmark this one so that it will hopefully be a successful encouragement for me to keep doing it.

I will make this, I already have everything I need! Thank you for the easy recipe, I've been making the Artisan Bread in 5 Mins a Day for a couple years now but they aren't a sandwich type bread. I'm also forwarding this to my son, he makes bread every once in a while too!

This bread looks simple and delicious! I love that there is no kneading involved, I seem to not have perfected that in my kitchen just yet! The third (first being bacon, second being onions and garlic) best smell in the kitchen is baking bread! Yum! Thanks for sharing.

Thanks for visiting my blog, Mary. I'm so glad you found me and I'm excited to comb through your recipes! Bread terrifies me, so I admire those who can make it happen. You certainly make it sound doable, though. Maybe I'll have to get over my fear.

I love this! I learned a whole wheat roll recipe called Braue's when I was in my 20's. It was kind of a health food recipe. Perhaps you've heard of it. And it was a real chore to make! This looks delightful! Not only do I appreciate your wonderful recipes and pictures, but the personal touch of your stories makes your posts seem like chapters in the book of a food critic. I forgot to ask you how you found me? Was it From A Writer's Kitchen?

love the look of this... I've only recently started baking bread and it really has made a huge difference to our lives...the smell alone makes me a happier person... funnily enogh I just made a rye dough this afternoon and forgot I had it proving in the airing cupboard and your post reminded me! he he ! it's very well risen now so should be lovely and airy when i take it out of the oven... you can read about it on my blog tomorrow x

I started laughing as soon as I saw what the post was about. I don't do bread. Of any kind. Even my husband would agree on this. Then, I read the recipe....hmmm, I just might be able to do this one. I can't wait for cooler weather to try all these new recipes (I really am miserable in the heat but I love cooking in cool/cold weather). Thanks very much for this one! Have you ever heard of pan bread? My mom made it and it was delicious....

I am not a beginner, but I was a beginner a little over a year ago. Since that time I've made many, many different breads, but I attribute my willingness to even try to make homemade bread to the very first whole wheat bread that I made with success. It's such a wonderful feeling to make your own first loaf.

Hi Mary, I began making bread weekly last winter and it was so wonderful to have fresh european loaves available. I love that this looks to be a softer bread. Now I have recipes for two distincly different loaves. I am taking your work for it that this bread is a winner. I have followed you long enough to know that if you like it I will too.Thanks for sharing.~ ~Ahrisha~ ~

I love how this was handed down to at an early age from a neighbor. Remember when you truly knew all your neighbors? I am going to giveit a whirl and who knows - maybe I can pass this down... to a neighbor child!

I'm currently in the process of creating the bread from this recipe! Just put the dough outside to rise so I am very excited, this looks like a fantastic recipe & this is the first time I've ever made bread so I am really looking forward to it. Thank you so much for the recipe! :)

I wondered if you could make this bread in a shorter pan and cut it to make "rolls". What size pan do you think you'd use and how long would you bake it for and would you bake it on the same temperature as the bread? Thanks.

T,you will not be able to cut the raw dough. You might try spooning dough into muffin pans. I have never done this, so I have no idea how long to bake them. A guess would be 18 minutes, but I must emphasize that that is a guess. Have a great day. Blessings...Mary

Wonderful recipe. I just made this today. I did reduce the salt to 1/2 a teaspoon due to my husband's hypertension and need to reduce sodium. It was still delicious. I added 2 Tablespoons of ground flax. I could not believe how easy this was to do. Thank you!

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